


"This Is Our Punk-Rock," Thee Rusted Satellites Gather + Sing,

by dcepticonn



Series: The Diogenes Project [5]
Category: Transformers - Occulus Occult, Transformers: Rescue Bots
Genre: M/M, Please read the preface for trigger list.
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-22
Updated: 2020-12-01
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:33:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27672749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dcepticonn/pseuds/dcepticonn
Summary: The island of Griffin Rock was once normal. It was once peaceful and happy, albeit prone to accidents - after meeting four Cybertronians by the names of Boulder, Blades, Chase and Heatwave, the Burns family are eager to rescue and work alongside them. Although, their world as they know it is bursting at the seams with magic and monsters, and it's only a matter of time before hapless humans catch on and are caught in the crossfire...
Relationships: Blades/Heatwave (Transformers)
Series: The Diogenes Project [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2023469
Kudos: 3





	1. Preface

This will also include a table of contents and a blacklist for the chapters.

_Please enjoy - and remember, **do not read something you don't think you can handle!  
If there's a blacklist item that should be added or was perhaps missed, let me know in the comments  
or privately through my [Tumblr](https://dcepticonn.tumblr.com/)!  
Keep in mind that I WILL NOT be blacklisting triggers specific to one individual (I.E Names),  
as this is a public work. If something specific to you in this fic triggers you, simply do not read it.  
Please cultivate your own experiences within the Occulus Occult community,  
The Transformers community and by extension the whole Internet.**_

_I: Preface_

* * *

This is the fic surrounding the Rescue Bots cartoon! Instead of hiding their identities as an alien species, though, they're hiding their magic and the magical creatures of Earth that are attracted to it. All of the chapters are named for songs that each in some way correspond to this fic in its completion!

II: Blacklist

* * *

**_I: Sow Some Lonesome Corner So Many Flowers Bloom_ **

_A lazy Saturday morning, a family of robots and humans, and a festival ending in disaster..._

Pregnancy mention  
Fire  
Blood/Gore

**_II: Babylon Was Built On Fire/StarsNoStars_ **

For some strange reason, the night was completely starless - curious, that was... Curious. A strange dream, and calls about tiny winged somethings...

No entries given.

**_III: American Motor over Smoldered Field_ **

**_IV: Goodbye Desolate Railyard_ **

**_V: Forest_**

Animal/Creature Death Or Injury

**_VI: Shigatsu_ **

**_VII: Summer Wind_ **

**_VIII: Under The Bridge_ **

**_IX: Down By The River_ **

**_X: Banana Split_ **

_**XI: Grape Soda** _

_**XII: Late Afternoon Drifting** _

_**XIII: Le Voyage Dans La Lune** _

**_XIX: The Pulls_ **

**_XX: An Autumnal Equinox_ **

**_XXI: Glowing Eyes_ **

**_XXII: A Car, A Torch, A Death  
_ **

**_XIII: Symphony of The Night_ **

**_XXIV: Your Bones_ **

**_XXV: Howl_ **

**_XXVI: Ghost Grinder_ **

**_XXVII: From Finner_ **


	2. Sow Some Lonesome Corner So Many Flowers Bloom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A lazy Saturday morning, a family of robots and humans, and a festival ending in disaster...

_it kissed me as i fell_   
_with fists full of ringing bells_

~ a silver mt. zion memorial orchestra and tra-la-la band with choir, '1'000'000 Died To Make This Sound' ~

He awoke that morning with a loud yawn, rising from his bed.  
In the distance there was the pleasant sound of music - a sing-song guitar, hazy and distant joyful singing and the stench of bacon frying on a skillet with the occasional unmistakable pop and crackle of grease. Cody raised cracked, dry hands to rub at his eyes as he rose awkwardly from his bed. The sunrise cast golden and orange and bright hues of hot over the room, illuminating every speck of dust on the bookshelf in front of his window, and the glass and lid of the fish-tank that bubbled and gurgled peacefully beside rows of trinkets and novels.  
Dammit, the young one thought to himself, his blue eyes sparkling like twin sapphires as the light fell on them. He’d have to get a rag and wipe everything down once he got dressed and had some food.  
His room itself was a mess - the windows covered in smudged hand-prints from being consistently opened and closed, the hamper pressed in the corner overflowing with clothing and partially covering the vent in the corner with clothing covered in stains of a whole magnitude - soot, grass, food, even some mystery-stains certainly obtained at Dr. Greene’s lab.  
No wonder why it was too hot in the room. The vent was mostly covered.  
The floor was no different - scattered with the occasional piece of clothing, or book, or quaint little curios almost hiding the hardwood floor below. His dresser was cluttered with cups and bowls from the week, and half-finished homework piled on a desk beside a computer with dust gathering on the screen. 

He’d really need to clean up soon, and finish his homework… Luckily the teachers were aware if things were turned in late, knowing he was in a renowned ‘family of heroes’.  
Maybe Boulder can help him with math and science, and Chase - being quite the genius he was - could aid him in history, and geography. Heatwave was good with gardening and plants - evident with the vast garden that bloomed around the firehouse’s walls, creeping lilies and moonflowers crawling up the brick.  
Blades was a story-teller, everything about mythologies and folklores was his domain.  
It was no matter. What if something popped up and his homework was going to be delayed yet again?  
Luckily most of his teachers didn’t mind.  
He shuffled over to his dresser and opened one of the drawers - neatly-folded socks and underclothing beside an assortment of random trinkets and bathing suits.  
Beside it was where he stored summer-shirts like his tank-tops and t-shirts, and below that was his heavier shirts and sweaters, and the bottom draws were full of shorts and jeans and pants.  
He retrieved today’s wear - baggy shorts tied at the knees with pockets so deep he could practically shove another person inside, or even lose his own belongings in his own pockets. With it there was a faded t-shirt Dani had given him - a band shirt with faded, ruined text, something along the lines of an early-2000s emo band Dani used to listen to and got Cody accidentally hooked on it.  
There were a couple holes in it, but that was okay. It was still wearable.  
He yawned once more, and stepped from his bedroom into the hall, and down it, the living room and the kitchen and the stairs going up to the rest of his family’s rooms.

Beside his bedroom was the bathroom, and across the hall was the elevator to the garage below and the bunker, and beside it a door to a spiral of stairs. And in the living room was the pole that Kade used to made a game of sliding down into the floor below.  
It was early in the month of June, the month where the firehouse was decorated in the brightest rainbows and parades marched up and down the streets and festivals were held on the beach.  
It gave meaning to the row of flags hanging above the living-room window.  
It was a special month for this reason - but also because school ended in a week.  
Maybe he can sneak off to the bots before breakfast? Say good-morning and check on Heatwave, perhaps. He’s been acting odd as of late.  
Part of him was tempted.  
But another part of him - his stomach, to be exact, directed him to the smell of breakfast.  
“Well look who’s awake!” Teased the voice of Kade - already with his hair combed out, wearing a plain white shirt (that was, in fact, turned inside-out) that was stained in a whole rainbow of stains - anything from coffee to old faded stains that looked remarkably like blood. His boots clunked on the tile as he shifted, and he wore shredded street jeans.  
“Morning, Kade,” Cody grumbled in reply. Dani offered him a smile, but said nothing. Graham was typing away at a laptop and sipping on a coffee - judging by the tired look in his eyes and the empty plate beside his laptop, he must’ve already eaten and had woken earlier than the others.  
And standing at the stove was their father - Charlie.  
He was humming softly to himself as he fried bacon - the other kids having already been served, judging by the plates before Kade and Dani on the table. “Hey, Dad,” Cody began, hobbling over to his father’s side.

His hair was gray - as was the moustache on his lip, and he wore a bright sky-blue police uniform, and with it neat black pants. Wound around his neck was a necklace and in it something Heatwave had gifted to him - a gemstone called volucite, he said, which was sacred to their people and one of their planet’s biggest exports. It glowed dull blue around his neck.  
“Cody,” he began, “I’ve just started your breakfast. Why not go downstairs and check on Heatwave and Blades?”  
Cody flashed a smile, and his father tilted his head in the direction of the fire-pole.  
A smile burst onto his lips - his favourite part of the morning, waking up the bots, and if they’re still sleeping, he’d sit with them until they woke.  
He always felt happier with them. Even though his siblings didn’t really understand it fully in the moment, he believed thoroughly they’d come around and soften up.  
He slunk from the kitchen to the stairs, sliding open the door and rushing down the staircase.

The garage, firstly, was vast.  
The windows lining the ceiling allowed in pleasant golden glow, and some of the windows were propped open allowing in a hot summer’s breeze. Fans whirred gently, sending cooling waves of air through the garage.  
Every move one takes echoed through the garage.  
The middle of the floor was lined in bright yellow - the door to the elevator of the bunker.  
The bots must’ve been down there somewhere, sleeping. Well, Boulder and Chase must’ve been.  
Tucked in the far corner in what was once where Graham kept his computer and his tool-boxes and gear was a cavity in the wall. The arch to it was massive, large enough for a bot to shuffle through, and concealed perfectly from the rest of the world. The wall was halfway up the garage’s height, and the top covered with a dense black sheet.  
The wall on the outside had a TV hanging on it, and a couch and table in front of it where Blades liked to sit and play video games and watch TV with the other humans.  
Cody knew exactly who was in that little secret cubby, away and safe from the world.  
Because blocking the entrance was a tall wall of blankets and pillows, and the chin of a familiar firetruck leaning over the edge, a blanket thrown over his head and his optics closed in sleep. Behind him, completely submerged in blankets save for the mass behind Heatwave was Blades. They were sleeping in some sort of nest.  
Why Heatwave out of nowhere built this nest and started sleeping in it with Blades was completely beyond Cody. However, Boulder and Chase seemed to know what it meant, but whenever Cody asked they would tell him it would be too much to explain and that when given the chance should talk to Ratchet.  
Cody hasn’t seen anyone from the Lost Light in what, a month now? Not since Heatwave and Blades decided to get married. 

The bots had been with them for a while now, but there was still so much mystery and allure to them, their people, their history… why they’re on Earth, the twin planet of their home of Cybertron. Some things he knew - the sounds of their planet’s dialects, the mythology, why they’re here… Even the magic, the straight-up literal magic their people practised before it was lost then resurfaced again.  
One of these magical items was an enchanted cloak made of the hide of a dragon. It hung on the corner of the wall above Heatwave’s nest - shining darker than obsidian. Cody had heard from the other bots that Heatwave could use it for… well, Chase just said that he’d better hope Heatwave wouldn’t have to use it.  
Even the cloak’s story had some questions to it. Where did it come from? Is it really made of actual dragon skin, the skin of a mythical creature that didn’t exist but the Cybertronians insisted did? Is it really actually enchanted? Is Cybertronian magic even actual magic? Is it just hyper-advanced technology less-intelligent beings such as humans wouldn’t understand, so they just call it ‘magic’ to save them the fuss?  
Cody so desperately wanted to have these questions answered.  
He shuffled as quietly as he could to the edge of the nest, around the rafters that held up an elevated platform above him, and Graham’s crowded desk and toolboxes.  
Heatwave insisted that Graham clear out so he could make his nest. It was perfectly sized for two Cybertronians and probably a couple humans. But why was he so adamant?  
They had to spend hundreds of dollars buying enough soft things and even more hours knitting and sewing disproportionately massive blankets and quilts. Luckily the young lovers were grateful, but Heatwave was still acting so _strange…_ Even Blades seemed to have no idea, but did enjoy being able to be so close to their husband. 

It was all questioning for another time.  
By the time Cody had gotten to the edge of the nest, Heatwave and his sleeping face had vanished under the blankets.  
Might as well let them sleep. The low, muffled rumbling of their engines as they slept was oddly relaxing to Cody.  
It was why, on tough days when he didn’t get enough sleep the night before, he’d sleep in the bunker or on the couch in the garage just so he can be lulled to sleep by the grumbling-rumbling noises they made as they slept. It wasn’t snoring, more like a gently idling engine.  
And the bots knew this, and appreciated his presence.  
...Especially when one or several of them would wake from terrible nightmares that they refused to talk about.  
And weirdly enough, for as long as he can remember, Cody has also had a series of weird… dreams. They were all of giant shapeshifting robots - all of Cybertronians, and magic, and beasts he couldn’t name and shapes moving in swirling black mist and stuff that hurt his head to think about.  
And he had no idea why he had dreams like this. Whenever he mentioned it, the four would look between each other and chatter-and-click something in that indecipherable language of theirs and they would watch him with concern.  
And they’d call Optimus, or Megatron, or _somebody_ , chattering furiously in that language.  
Even though Cody knew not a single word he still somewhat had a feeling they were talking about him and his dreams.

He shrugged it off, though. It’s not that big of a deal.  
But maybe it was. If it was something that was happening to him, he’d like to know. Their avoidance was questionable.  
In fact, much about Cybertronians was questionable.  
He turned his back on the nest and made to clamber over the rafters once more, and graham’s junk.  
They were going to move it up above so that it would be out of everyone’s way, but that was ultimately forgotten.  
Movement stayed Cody in his tracks - someone in the nest was moving, eventually rising - the large shadow belonged to Blades, evident in the silhouette of ‘ears’ either side of his head and the glow of his green optics. He yawned softly, and threw the blankets off of himself and by extension, off of Heatwave. And when he spoke his voice was both tired and crooning softly as he trailed kisses along the back of Heatwave’s neck. “Good morning, love,” He purred, before sitting up again.  
Heatwave groaned deeply, his head once more popping up from under the blanket caught on his helm.  
He yawned - yawned so wide in fact that his face lifted right off his chin, revealing under it a maw lined with needle-fine rows of teeth which glittered sparkling silver in the half-light. A long, prehensile tongue lolled from this maw before curling back up and vanishing.  
None of the other bots did this. Why was it only Heatwave?  
Whenever Cody would ask he’d tell him to quit bothering him. Sometimes, he’d get mad.  
Cody didn’t even realise they were both staring at each other ‘till Heatwave cleared his throat. “Cody,” He muttered groggily. 

“Hey, Heatwave!” He responded excitedly, scampering out of the way as Heatwave rose, pulling himself up from the nest and flexing his metal in the light.  
His cherry-red hull glittered with pearling that made him shine like abalone, and his blue optics sparkled like the sky above. Atop his helm was a fire-helmet, and peeking from under it were unmistakably small horns, curling vaguely like a ram’s, their tips sparkling wickedly.  
The grill on his stomach rattled as he drew in a long breath and exhaled through his vents.  
The headlights on his knuckles sparkled, and curling around his right hand was elegant swirls - carved into his red metal and filled with gold. Marital tattoos, as Chase explained to him, Blades’ matched Heatwave’s.  
It was somewhat endearing to think of. When two Cybertronians marry, a symbol of this newfound love is carved into their metal forever. It was a romantic thought.  
On Heatwave’s back was a ladder that arched above his head - sometimes, he’d allow Cody to sit on the rungs when they’d go out and get some fresh air.  
His emergency-lights perched on his shoulders, their transparent caps glimmering.  
Everything about Heatwave was perfectly polished - even the old scars that covered his body seemed to be more of features than old wounds, like they’d always been there.  
He yawned once more, and paced into the garage.  
Blades followed next, their hull sparkling white-and-orange like the morning light itself was painted on his metal. His rotors rattled as they stretched himself out and yawned widely, their canines sparkling like fangs in the morning light.

His audial pads drooped, much like a cat’s ears before pricking up again. The one on the left had a notch taken out of it - which ran alongside a nasty scar down the side of their face. Cody was always curious about the mark - whatever it was, it had a story.  
Blades smiled at Cody as he paced across the room to Heatwave’s side, greeting him kindly.  
He reached a hand down to Cody, who clambered into the copter’s hand. “What’re we doing today?” Cody asked.  
Heatwave sighed. “Well, first, we need some food. Second, don’t we have that festival today?”  
Blades shifted anxiously. “I don’t like crowds,” He muttered.  
Heatwave chuckled. “I’ll be right there, there’s nothing to worry about”.  
Cody sighed. Heatwave was always so supportive of everyone, but even more so of his spouse.  
Blades started as a low hum rumbled up the walls of the garage, and the floor in the middle of the room opened - and rising from the floor was Boulder and Chase, both holding in their hands trays piled with fresh, steaming food. And most surprisingly, it didn’t smell half bad. Heatwave opened his mouth to speak, Blades shuffling over to the couch in the corner and sitting down. “Don’t bother, Heatwave,” Chase began playfully, “I’ve made us breakfast”.  
“Morning, Cody,” Boulder groaned between a yawn. “You ready for the festival today?”  
“Am I ever?” He began, a smile blooming on his lips.  
“CODY!” Called a voice from above - on the other side of the garage, Kade was sticking his head down through the hole for the fire-pole. “COME GET YOUR BREAKFAST BEFORE I EAT IT ALL!”  
Heatwave scoffed and Chase cocked his brow, confusion scrawled all over his face.  
Cody sprinted to the staircase, racing up it as fast as he could, slamming the door as he went.  
The bots looked between each other awkwardly. There was still so much they didn’t understand about humans.

The summer was hot.  
The sky was hot.  
Even the air was heavy and hot. Heatwave warning, the radio said before they left.  
“What did he do this time,” Boulder teased, much to Heatwave’s annoyance. Sharing a name with a natural disaster was both fun and annoying at times.  
“Well, I do not recall Heatwave even leaving the firehouse until now. He hasn’t gotten into any trouble at all, we have had our eyes on him this whole time,” Chase began. “Chief Burns, shall I observe Heatwave closer?”  
Whether or not Chase was playing along with the joke or being serious wasn’t clear. It was hard to tell what he thought and felt, his emotions were as much of an enigma as Chase himself.  
“Oh, come on, Chase, the only crime Heatwave’s ever committed was stealing my heart,” Blades would chime playfully much to Dani teasing him.  
Chase would simply stare at Charlie in horror through the little screen set in his dash, comment something about how stealing internal organs was the worst crime one can commit. Heatwave would playfully bump his bumper against Chase’s, much to the Mustang’s annoyance.  
It was remarkable how well the bots got along, despite their vast differences and the occasional heated disagreement chattered in their native tongue of Cybertronian, the types of arguments where they’d refuse to talk to each other till the next day, and the Burns would grow concerned each and every time. Like they were scared one day that would be it.  
Luckily those fights were rare.

Heatwave was tired of Kade’s constant brooding; acting like he was better than everyone else just because he had one of the bulkiest bots on the team. Even though, if Heatwave were to ask, he’d say Blades was his favourite out of the whole team. But Kade didn’t like that, he’d flaunt his ego and insist even he was better than Blades. He’d try and soak up all of Heatwave’s attention, as if trying to prove something that didn’t need to be proven.  
If anything, Kade was proving that he was a real dick. Which is probably why he refused to let Kade enter his cabin for the ride to the park. Chase was the only one who opted to give Kade a ride with Charlie. Heatwave had a very clear preference for Cody.  
Cody was a good kid. He had an actual respect for the bots, and everything they were - even the stuff they kept hidden from him.  
For good reason, too.  
There were things about their people that were best left away from humans. Not because it was dangerous, just because it would be… a lot to explain, and even harder to grasp.  
One of these things being something he’d have to say something about real quick.  
His secret.  
Well, secrets.  
The cloak and what it does, and the reasons for his odd behavior… But he wasn’t ready.  
He didn’t think he ever will be ready, until it was forced out of him, and he’d have to explain.  
Ugh.

“Heatwave, are you alright?” Cody asked. Heatwave startled.  
He was lost in thought again, huh?  
“Y- I’m fine,” He muttered.  
“You do not sound fine,” Chase quipped.  
“Aw,” Blades cooed. “What’s wrong?”  
“Nothing,” Heatwave groaned. “I’m fine”.

“You have been acting strange as of late,” Boulder added. “You sure?”  
“I’m _fine_ ”.  
“Guys, back off,” Dani said with a sigh. “You can’t force him to say something he doesn’t want to”.  
“We’re almost to the park,” Charlie began, “Now you all best be on your best behavior”.  
Kade scoffed, Graham nodded and Dani flicked a thumbs-up.  
Cody said not a thing. He just worried.  
“Cody,” Heatwave began. “...My coms are off. Can I… say something?”  
“What is it, Heatwave?” Cody muttered, resting his forehead on his dashboard. He rest his hand on the dash and sighed. “Are you okay?”  
Heatwave sighed. “Look,” He began. “I’m… uhh. Can you help encourage me to uhh…”  
Cody was almost as shocked as he was.  
Heatwave? Being vulnerable? Something really must be going on with him.  
“To uhh…” He continued. “Tell something… to the others?”  
“I mean,” Cody began. “It’s about taking a moment to breathe and calm your nerves-”  
“But it’s something big,” He interrupted. “I can’t just ‘calm down’, it’s hard”.  
“How big? Is it big as in you can’t hold it in anymore, or if you can hold it back… it’ll just boil over?”  
“Uh…” Heatwave stuttered. “Let’s just say that if I don’t say something, something is going to happen to me and either it’s going to be a pleasant surprise, or they’re going to get angry at me because they had no warning about it and no time to prepare”.

“...Is it dangerous?”  
“Well, no, but it can be if something happens to me, or goes wrong”.  
“Heatwave, what is it?”  
“It’s going to take a lot to explain. And I’m just… I’m not ready to say it to them. I’m not ready to explain”.  
“That’s okay,” Cody began, “It’s okay to not be ready. But by the sounds of it, you have to tell them soon”.  
“Can I… Can I tell you? Because I trust you-”  
Cody’s comlink buzzed. “Go ahead?”  
Heatwave growled. “Is Heats okay?” Boulder asked. “You both kinda went silent…”  
“Y-yeah, he’s okay,” Cody muttered in response, concern lingering in his voice.  
“That doesn’t sound very reassuring. Should we try talking to him?” Boulder continued.  
“...Maybe he’s gone non-verbal,” Blades suggested. “You know him”.  
“...I would like to suggest we leave Heatwave alone for now,” Chase quipped next.  
Silence. Cody clicked off his comlink. “So,” He turned his attention back to Heatwave, who was staring at him with a face wrought in worry, and when he spoke his voice shook.  
“It’s so hard to say, and you’re a human so you won’t understand it if I told you,” he whimpered, “Like, I don’t know how your species works exactly so I don’t know if you have an equivalent but…”  
Cody sighed. “Take your time”.

“I, uhh. We call it being _sparked_ back home, or at least we did,” He squeezed his optics shut. “Before our planet fell,” His voice quivered. He stumbled over his words and stammered, and for a moment Cody assumed he was crying… Which was right. “I’m just… so scared. I don’t want to screw up, considering all I’ve been through, and I don’t want any harm to befall my family, I just… And the things I’m capable of, what if I hurt them on accident?”  
“Calm down, Heatwave, slow down…” Cody soothed. “I… I don’t know what that means, but… it’ll be okay, okay?”  
“How can you say it’s okay?” Heatwave snapped suddenly. “This is a serious thing!”  
“...What is being ‘sparked’ as you put it?”  
“Ugh,” Heatwave groaned in annoyance. “I’m…” He hesitated again, his voice shaking. “I’m going to have a sparkling. A son of my own,” Heatwave choked out.  
Cody’s eyes lit up. The bots had only been with them for what, since January? It was impressive that Heatwave would trust Cody with something he didn’t even want to tell his own husband. “Heatwave!” Cody gasped, patting the dashboard firmly.  
Heatwave’s optics lit up. Well, that blew over well! “Yeah!” He began.  
“That’s… incredible”.  
“...You’re going to ask me how it works, huh?”  
“...Later,” Cody began. “We’re at the park”.  
“Yeah, I don’t think I want to give you a crash-course on mechanobiology. You should call Ratchet if you want to know how it’s possible, he has a daughter himself”.  
Sure enough, they were nearing the park - the others were ahead of them, waiting on an elevated dias flanked in some trees and brightly-colored banners that wavered in hot summer air. Heatwave heaved a sigh. “Fuck, it’s hot,” He muttered.  
“Sure is,” Cody sighed, pushing open Heatwave’s door and hopping out. “And… thank you for trusting me,” He muttered.

Blades was sitting on a massive steel crate beside Chase, the two chatting intently. Boulder was staring up at the sky, optics aglow like the sky above.  
Humans had known about the Cybertronians for years now.  
Well, since the Emergence of 2007. It had only been four years since then, huh?  
Four years since they’ve officially declared Earth as their home and sanctuary. Where they were safe to exist and raise families. Where they can be in peace. Heatwave behind Cody rose, metal shifting and grinding and whirring as he stood upright and transformed.  
The bot smiled down at Cody kindly, and Cody flashed him a wink.  
“Heatwave!” Blades called, shifting over and crowding Chase against the edge of the metal crate - and with a comical yelp, Chase fell off the crate and onto the dias below. Heatwave hopped over, Cody following suit.  
Heatwave sighed. “HEY!” Kade snapped, “What was the hold-up?”  
“None of your business,” Heatwave growled deeply. Kade glared up at him as he sat down beside his husband, and Chase shifted his legs under him.  
“Blades!” He gasped in annoyance.  
“Boys,” Charlie began.  
Dani sighed - and much to Heatwave’s surprise, she was perched right on their shoulder. Dani winked at Heatwave, who flashed her a playful smile. He was nice to everyone but Kade.  
The reason? Kade, well… Cody understood why. Kade was an asshole, and Heatwave wasn’t the kind of guy to be pushed around. You put two stags in a room, and antlers are bound to lock at some point.

And by the looks of what was under Heatwave’s helmet, Cody feared what would happen if he was on the wrong end of those razor-sharp horns - in fact, Heatwave kept their sharpened tips under rubber caps so they wouldn’t cause damage or harm. Why he grew them, he couldn’t say. One day they just sprung from his forehead, curled around the back of his head, to the side, over itself and now out again.  
It happened when he was a child - and as he grew curled along the side of his head like a ram’s horns, and before they could begin digging into the side of his head he put a frame on them so that they would curve outwards, and now at their full length… The razor-sharp tips are even with his optics and glimmer dangerously from under his fire-helmet. There was even a small divot before they curved outwards that one could perch on comfortably.  
And when he transformed, the horns manifested as curled decorations on his grill.  
Blades sighed, shifting closer to Heatwave as he put his arm around his hips and left a kiss on his lips. Dani chuckled as the two separated. “You two,” She teased playfully.  
“What?” Heatwave began, raising a finger to awkwardly press a silicon-padded finger into the tip of the horn beside his eye. “You wouldn’t know what it feels like”.  
“Maybe I do,” Dani retorted playfully. “You’ve only met me at the beginning of the year”.  
“Case closed,” Chase said from his place sitting on the dias. “Blades, did you really think it appropriate to push me off of the crate so that you could sit with your husband?”

“Yes, actually,” Blades commented sarcastically. “Because look at him - isn’t he the cutest?” Blades cooed, nuzzling into Heatwave’s neck.  
“Aw, shut up,” Heatwave cooed, and Boulder cleared his throat sharply.  
Piling into the park, and sitting on rows of wooden benches before the dias was a crowd of people. “Professional behavior, guys,” Boulder shuffled over to Chase, leaning down and offering him his hand. Chase took it and heaved himself up with a muffled ‘oof’.  
Chase was the shortest. The Mustang’s optics sparkled intently and analytically at his surroundings, his shoulders tense and his fists clenched. He never said anything unless he believed he had to. He kept to himself when he wasn’t observing the others intently like a scientist observing an experiment. The humans knew at least a little bit of the history of the four bots - but Chase. He refused to speak of anything, just that he was Iaconian, like Heatwave, while Blades was Polyhexian and Boulder was Altihexian.  
Whatever that meant.  
Chase refused to speak of his past, or his relations, or anything. He was super… in the now. Like he was hiding something gruesome.  
Blades, on the other hand, was quite the opposite. He was just up to Heatwave’s shoulders, and everything about them was either bubbly or anxious. He was either fiddling with his fingers awkwardly or virtually bouncing around like an excited puppy.  
And his bragging knew no ends. Well, not as bad as Kade’s. 

He called himself the last Thane of Polyhex; whatever that meant - he had political influence in the twilight years of the Civil War that drove them from home. And after the murder of the previous Jarl - whoever that was - Blades took his place because of political functions and structures that when explained rapid-fire by Blades, made Cody’s mind go numb.  
Too much information at once.  
Boulder. He was nothing more than a gardener for an aristocrat, hired entirely on accident because a mis-identification - Boulder Steel-Hide was confused for Boulder Steel- _Fist_.  
But, he performed just as well, and he kept his position all the way up to the War. He was kind and sweet and the least tragic of all of the bots.  
Boulder was staring at Cody with those endless blue optics, that shifted to orange, then back again, flickering and changing bright colors. He was the optimist among those with probably the darkest outlook on life Cody has ever seen. Always gloomily awaiting the next danger to bark at their heels.

It wasn’t healthy.  
But sometimes they appeared… happy despite this. And with the secret Cody and Heatwave shared, that happiness could only grow once the time comes to tell them the fact that Blades was going to be a parent. Not soon, but eventually. There was still so much they didn’t know, more than what met the eye.  
Boulder and Chase kept to themselves, Boulder watching a pair of butterflies over a patch of milkweed with a big, stupid grin on his face, and Chase stood awkwardly beside him - looking and acting out of place, like he wasn’t supposed to be there. Blades was the affectionate one - nuzzling his head onto Heatwave’s shoulder, the other every so often lightly, softly resting his head against Blades’.  
Heatwave was the hot-headed one. Even the smallest of things could send him teetering over the edge and into an explosive rage that sometimes, only sometimes, Blades was the only one that could calm him. But as of late, Heatwave has been more docile.  
Occasionally, he’d flare up into a snarl of anger, and sometimes his helmet and the rubber caps of his horns would come off. This was a violent rage they’ve never seen from him before. And with the new information Cody knew, perhaps it was connected?  
Were Cybertronians more similar to humans than initially thought?

An hour that felt like a century drawled on.  
Mayor Lusky was delivering another one of his speeches - the extra-long special, it seemed, preening himself more so than actually giving a speech. Even the water-cooler beside the chairs Cody’s family sat at was hot, the ice inside struggling to remain frozen in water that was turning lukewarm.  
Even the bots seemed bothered - Heatwave was snoring softly on Blades’ shoulder, Chase was standing at-attention behind the five foldable steel chairs, Boulder standing beside him with his optics focused on a nearby tree and a family of pigeons in it. “...And that concludes the introductory speech,” Lusky suddenly said.  
This grabbed Cody’s attention - as did the others, it seemed, as Graham’s head popped up from the book he was reading, Dani sighed a heavy ‘Finally,’ as did Kade who looked as if he would rather be anywhere but here. Charlie looked as if he was tempted to round up the bots and his family and leave about halfway through the speech, but it was required they’d be there.  
“And now, Chief Charlie Burns of the Griffin Rock Rescue Department,” Lusky said.  
Charlie raised a hand to wipe sweat from his forehead as Lusky shuffled awkwardly away from the podium. The people seemed as tired as they all felt, clearly waiting to scurry back to air-conditioned cars and air-conditioned houses. Blades straightened his back up, which made Heatwave keel forward and bang his head against Blades’ lap with a loud clang.  
“OW! BLADES, WH-”

Charlie turned to stare at the two bots with a cocked brow, before clearing his throat and making to speak. “I am sure you’re all sweating like pigs out there,” He spoke over the rippling giggles of the crowd startled to attention by Heatwave’s head colliding with his husband’s lap. Heatwave however, stayed down, resolving to rest his head in his husband’s lap. “And… we do apologise for dragging you all out of your nice, cool houses like this. But, in January, we were introduced to a very special team of Cybertronians - I believe, some of you may recall the Emergence of 2007, when these alien robots revealed their existence to us?”  
Murmurs through the crowd.  
“Well, me and my family have been tasked by the great and legendary Optimus Prime to aid this special team. They will be members of our rescue team from now on, and will learn the ways of our world. You are to treat them with respect as beings much like ourselves. Now, introduce yourselves”.  
The first one to step forward was Heatwave - having sprung up from Blades’ lap, his helmet tumbling off of his head and onto the dias. “OH!” He barked, bending over and grabbing the helmet, holding it to his middle and shuffling forward. Blades snorted and rose to join him. “Uhh,” Heatwave began. “My name is Heatwave, and I lead this cohort known as Sigma 17. I deal in fire-based rescues, and this is my husband, Blades,” Heatwave’s engine rumbled in a purr as Blades took his place beside him and Heatwave set his arms around him. Blades squeaked, his whole body trembling anxiously as he pressed his face into Heatwave’s arm.  
Heatwave sighed. He guessed the pressure of speaking in front of someone must’ve made Blades go non-verbal. It was normal for him, after all.

“They focus on air rescues and medical care,” Heatwave began. “He’s a damn good medic, and an even better flier-”  
“Heatwave,” Charlie muttered.  
“Right, sorry,” Heatwave began, awkwardly throwing his helmet back over his sparkling horns.  
“My name is Chase,” Spoke the next to come forward, “I focus on patrol and police-work with Charlie. This means Boulder is the last of us”.  
Boulder shuffled forward awkwardly. “Hi,” He began dully. “I’m Boulder. I was a mechanic back in my day, before we came here! I like nature, and plants, and long walks through the fo-”  
“Very good,” Charlie said over him. “As of this day, these bots will be officially joining our team and will begin aiding on rescues-” Charlie’s voice continued on and on…

But Heatwave didn’t hear him.  
At least, he knew he didn’t, with all of his sharpened senses because of a certain… gift, of his.  
He trusted Cody, but not enough to explain what the cloak he kept hanging above his nest did.  
It wasn’t the right time.  
But the abilities it gave him, ever since the first time he used it for the first time a year previous…  
His body felt sore thinking about the first use, the first transformation - metal weaving into sinew and muscle and flesh, energon becoming crimson blood… It was nothing short of magic. Because that is what it was - changing his very molecular composition from metal to flesh.  
Sometimes, he’d get phantom feelings from the cloak - his horns would suddenly feel heavier, and racing along his back, ridges and spines that weren’t there no matter how many times he looked in his reflection.  
His ability left him with the blessing of a beast’s blood so that he could use the cloak to its full potential, and sharper eyesight, sharper hearing, a sharper nose…  
And something pricked the attention of those senses.

Something that, by the flaming, burning smell of it, shouldn’t be there.  
No. Not yet. He wasn’t ready yet.  
Optimus and his Autobots have been reporting the same issue, as have Megatron and his Decepticons - the pages of myth were weaving to life and raising hell on the mainland. Not here. Not yet.  
This town was too small. It was too fragile.  
For the first few months on Griffin Rock, none of these things have been appearing, even though the stench of magic hung heavily in the air in certain spots of the island - hotspots that concerned Heatwave and his heightened senses more than any rescue he’s ever been part of. The others didn’t seem to know, but he did.  
How long could they hide the real truth from humans, that their ancestors who wrote of dragons and griffins and gnomes all were telling the truth and it wasn’t just some story to entertain children, or superstitions given personas?  
How could he and his comrades even begin to tell the humans?  
It tied and unravelled knots in his mind that made his head swim - the others didn’t seem at all alarmed that this was happening all around them, all they’ve worked for coming apart at the seams because of one little…

“Salamander,” Heatwave muttered.  
“You okay?” Blades asked softly.  
He could hear it scuttling up the side of a tree he locked his optics on - the wood keening and hissing under its little padded toes and leaving a trail of hot embers in its wake, which quickly erupted into...  
“FIRE!” One woman screamed, launching to her feet and tripping over herself as she ran.  
Sure enough, orange-gold-red flames erupted suddenly along the side of the tree, blazing up the leaves and… catching on the banners. It was spreading faster than what was natural…  
Shit, Heatwave thought, they were going to notice. “GET TO SAFETY!” Charlie barked to the scrambling crowd.  
Chase sighed, giving worried optics to Heatwave. “What is it, Heatwave?” He asked.  
“No time, Chase. I have something I need to grab. You, Boulder, Blades, evacuate the whole park and get everyone to the nearest cafe for some cool-down time, away from the fire. At the rate this is spreading we can’t have anybody in the park, and I’m-”

“...The only one with the ability to resist the flames,” Chase completed. “Got it”.  
Blades shifted. “I’m worried-”  
“I’ll be okay, love,” Heatwave whispered as Blades got near. He left a kiss on his lips. “Go”.  
Heatwave paused.  
“And once you are done herding everyone to safety, return to me and help me put out this blaze”.  
Blades sighed anxiously, and turned, following after Boulder and Chase, who were herding the people away from the rapidly-expanding blaze.  
Heatwave turned and bared his teeth, snarling almost beast-like.  
He raced towards the tree - and skittering around the trunk in wavering movements was a lizard about the size of Heatwave’s finger.  
It was small and dark black, looking more like a gecko than a salamander, with round suction-pads edged in razor-sharp claws holding it onto the tree, and from the perforations it left in the bark, liquid fire oozed. The flames licked at his metal and heated it red-hot, but it didn’t bother him, it never did, he was Heatwave for Primus’ sake!  
Heatwave Fire-Born. 

He reached forward to the lizard, which regarded Heatwave with wide red eyes - and carefully Heatwave picked up the docile little creature, opened his chest, and tossed it inside.  
He set to work next on extinguishing the blaze - the headlights on his knuckles folding back to reveal water-jets which sprayed a sturdy, clear arc of water towards the burning tree.  
“HEATWAVE!” Blades barked over the com. “I have Cody and Dani with me, what do you want us to do?”  
“Find where the blaze hasn’t spread and make a trench to use as a fire-block, I’ve got the sal- I’ve got the cause of the fire and I’ve extinguished this corner of the park. Where are the others?”  
“I am with Chief Burns and I am offering comfort to the humans. They are asking a lot of questions about what we are despite the terror that they just saw,” Chase began. “Boulder and Graham are coming to your aid”.  
“Boulder!” Cody barked. “To the South of the park, the fire hasn’t reached there yet!”  
“...Beat me to it,” Dani muttered.  
“Boulder,” Blades began. “Southwards”.  
“Got it!”

Heatwave growled deeply, a beastly roar coming from his engine and bubbling up his throat…  
He spun a wide circle, water spraying about in every direction and extinguishing the flames with a hiss. And together, Heatwave and the flames he adored so deeply danced together in an elegant fight. The flames would sputter up over its dancing-partner, and he would retaliate with a cold jet of water and the flames would reply a defeated hiss.  
The heat of the salamander crawling around in his chest was nothing compared to his metal, which glimmered red hot but never threatened to go soft.  
The little lizard was climbing up his window, its little claws scraping against the glass as it moved.  
He ignored it, and pushed onward with his deadly dance with fire.  
A loud cry, almost unheard of by the metal titan. It was a choked, sad noise - like a creature struggling to breathe.  
Heatwave’s spark dropped from its chamber.  
The voice belonged to a human.  
Suddenly, the focus wasn’t the fire, or the salamander, or even the anxiety of the truth being wrest from him. It was this human’s life.

It was to his left, maybe one or two yards.  
He was most likely too hot to the touch to pick him up…  
“BLADES!” He yelled into his com. “WE HAVE A HUMAN HERE,” Heatwave roared, water spraying again from his free hand, as the other was pressed into the side of his head.  
“Oh, no,” Cody muttered.  
“BLADES, SEND ME YOUR WINCH, DO YOU HAVE A LITTER?”  
“Litter?” Cody asked.  
“It’s a basket used for airlifts, but I don’t know if it’ll catch fire-”  
“JUST GET ONE, BLADES! I HAVE THE FIRE AT BAY FOR NOW, BUT I’M NOT SURE HOW LONG IT WOULD LAST!” Sure enough, Heatwave had soaked the ground around where he had found the human - hiding under a steel bench beside two massive trees in front of a children’s play-ground, sizzling and hot from where the blaze once roamed. The grass was charred and the earth blackened.

“On it,” Blades cooed calmly.  
“BOULDER, HOW ARE YOU HOLDING UP?”  
“I’m doing okay, I’m…” He strained. “Midway through the park, who knew it was so big when you were digging a trench across it?”  
Heatwave snorted. “Keep it up, bud. Chase?”  
“There is a young girl clinging to my leg who is wondering where her father is,” Chase began. “Have you found anybody in the blaze?”  
“I have, damn, this fire spread fast”.  
“Do you require assistance?”  
“N-no,” Heatwave began. “This human does, though. Blades is going to fly him straight to the nearest hospital”.  
“Affirmative”.  
“Heatwave?” Charlie said over his com. “Did you find what caused the fire?”  
“Yes, I did. I… I have some explaining to do. No sense in hiding it anymore”.  
“Heatwave?” Graham asked.  
“We’re on our way-” Cody began softly.

“Almost there,” Dani said over him. “We can see you, Heatwave. Don’t touch the man, Blades is sending me down”.  
Heatwave sighed. “No time, Dani. I’ll just toss him in as carefully as I can. I’m not red-hot anymore”.  
“Heatwave…”  
Heatwave sighed. “There’s. No. Time, Dani”.  
“How bad are the wounds?”  
“Straight to the hospital. They’re pretty serious”. Sure enough, the entire side of the man’s body was terribly disfigured - once-pale flesh now burned deep blacks and red oozed from the wounds. The man was unconscious.  
Heatwave’s spark raced.  
Come on, Blades…  
The flames crept closer…  
Heatwave spun around again, flinging water in all directions. “Heatwave, we’re here,” Blades began softly, as calmly as possible despite the fact that his voice shook. Lowering from where Blades hovered among the smoke was the litter.  
“A little faster?”  
Blades groaned, and the litter practically fell onto Heatwave’s head.  
It was even with his shoulders now, so that he carefully scooped up the unconscious man in his hands and tossed him into the basket. “Get him out of here. You’re doing great, Blades. You too, Dani. And Cody”.  
The litter rose up into the clouds of smoke, and off Heatwave ran into the flames, spraying water everywhere he went.  
He almost fell onto his face and into the trench when he got to it.

It was about two metres across, and as deep as his head. Boulder smiled up at Heatwave - and raised a hand to stay his fall, just to recoil his hand and hiss in pain once Heatwave regained his footing.  
The fire had since grown weaker, but there was still work to do. Little pockets of flames that would soon become problems once more.  
“Are you okay?” Boulder asked.  
Heatwave nodded. “I might need some extra hands, though,” if you all want to find some way to help”.  
Boulder smiled. “I did my part, now we help you with yours”.  
“But the fire,” Chase began. “You cannot enter the flames like Heatwave can”.  
“There’s enough out that we can maneuver. Graham, go to Charlie, Dani, Cody and Chase. I need Kade, because unfortunately you aren’t the one with the heavy-duty firefighter’s gear”.  
“We all have our roles,” Graham responded, hopping down into the trench to Boulder, who picked him up, placed him in his chest, and went bounding off.

Pretty soon, Kade was at Heatwave’s side, hose in hand - the two standing back to back. The last of the blaze surrounded them, singing Kade’s skin and making Heatwave’s metal glow.  
With a hiss, the last flame died - and the park was left a blackened, steaming mess in the summer sun.  
“Welp,” Kade began. “All that hard work thanks to me-”  
Heatwave growled, retracting his hose and rounding on Kade, throwing his helmet off in the process.  
“Woah, there, big guy-”  
“Only say that bullshit when you’re the one who is walking through literal fire, heated red-hot, without expecting a thanks or a pat on the back”.  
Kade rolled his eyes, and Heatwave curled his lips and retrieved his helmet.  
Blades, Boulder and Chase landed somewhere nearby on the street. Heatwave made no hesitation to bound over, his vents screaming as they made to cool his metal.  
“...I would kiss you but uhh… You’re kind of hot,” Blades said awkwardly as Heatwave stopped in front of him.  
“...What kind of hot?”  
“...Both physically and metapho-”  
“AHEM!” Kade barked. “Now when’s the thank-you committee gonna show up?”  
Heatwave snarled at Kade, and with a yelp he bit his tongue. 

“Phenomenal work,” Charlie spoke over the chatter. “We didn’t even have to say anything!”  
“We’re expertly trained Rescue Bots, remember?” Boulder began gently, Graham sitting on his shoulder. “We just acted on instinct”.  
Charlie smiled. “Well, I’m sure our family is looking forward to working with yours,” Charlie added softly. “...Now, Heatwave. I noticed how you were staring at the tree that caught fire before it did. Did you… know something?”  
“Eeh,” Heatwave began. “Well, I have some… things to explain”.  
“You do, now?” Kade snapped sarcastically.  
Heatwave crossed his arms firmly over his chest - trying to cover his window. “And nobody’s riding with me,” He said, ignoring Kade. “I’m still kind of… eh, hot to the touch”.  
Cody sighed. “Looks like you’re with me,” Charlie said with a smile. “Let’s get home before the press swamps us”.

“So,” Chase began. “What is it that started the blaze?”  
“Well,” Heatwave began softly. The other three bots were huddled around him - slowly he opened his chest and pulled from it the salamander - it was a ball of blaze that curled around his finger and stared at him. “This was what caused the blaze”.  
“A salamander?” Boulder said. “Don’t they live in volcanic places?”  
“Yeah, and the fact that they’re appearing like they have been on the mainland with a whole ‘nother assortment of creatures is concerning”.  
“It’s such a small town, someone’s bound to find out, what do we do?” Blades asked.  
Heatwave sighed. “...We have no choice but to spill them our secret”.  
“But-” Chase went to protest, but instead, Heatwave called out to Cody.  
“CODY! GET YOU AND YOUR FAMILY DOWN HERE, WE NEED TO TALK!”  
Commotion from above.  
Each Burns appeared down the stairs - except Kade, who slid down the fire-pole, puffed his chest and strode over. “You here to give us praise?”  
“No,” Heatwave growled. “Now all of you listen closely”.  
“Heatwave, is everything okay?” Graham asked, stepping close.  
“Well, I - we, have to tell you something”.  
Chase and Blades turned, and Boulder paced around to stand beside Chase. Heatwave turned slowly - curling on his finger was that little ball of flame.  
“What is that?” Charlie began.

The flames died down, curling into ridged black scales. “This… this is a sal-”  
“A SALAMANDER!” Cody barked, “Like in the stories!”  
“Eh,” Heatwave began, setting the tiny lizard on the garage floor and kneeling in front of it. The little lizard turned to Heatwave, cocked its head, and tilted its chin up. Heatwave set to petting the little creature, scratching under its chin and stroking its head. “Well… they aren’t exactly stories”.  
“What? That little thing? Just some myth,” Kade remarked sarcastically.  
“Well… why is that thing here?” Dani asked.  
“There must be some logical explanation,” Graham added.  
“Well… uhh… this is something we wanted to keep from you. Our people have been hiding it for ages now, but it’s becoming harder and harder nowadays to hide and contain these creatures. And it isn’t just salamanders that wander this planet’s volcanic regions either,” Heatwave continued. “There’s serpents and sirens out there too, and things so scary it’ll make your skin crawl. But that’s why we’re trying to contain the dangerous ones, keep them hidden from sight as to prevent mass panic”.  
“Heatwave. I… Your secret is safe with us,” Charlie began.  
“So this means magic is real? And your dragonskin cloak - is it real, too? What can it do? Does this mean magic is re-”

“Slow down there, storyteller,” Heatwave remarked, scooping up the salamander again and putting it in his chest. “I have to bring this little guy back to a volcano where he belongs. That means I have to make a couple calls tonight. To answer your questions, yes, yes, I’m not going to tell you yet, and yes again”.  
Boulder, Chase and Blades shared anxious glances.  
“Please, nobody can know of the existence of magic and monsters. It can cause mass panic, and if the information falls into the wrong hands… this world just isn’t ready yet. Promise on me - on us, that you won’t tell anyone”.  
Heatwave leaned forward and held out his free hand, and Charlie shuffled forward dutifully alongside Graham, Cody and Dani. Each rest their palms against Heatwave’s. “Kade,” Charlie growled.  
Kade begrudgingly shuffled forward, and his hand joined his family’s. Heatwave drew a long sigh.  
“We promise,” Charlie whispered.  
Heatwave smiled. “Good,” He recoiled his hand. “I trust you. But if you break that trust?”  
He flashed a wicked row of teeth that, in the light, looked like fangs.  
“I’ll hunt you down”.

The rest of the night wound to a peaceful close. The bots slept, the humans slept, even the little salamander in its fire-proof crate set for relocation the next day slept.  
And somewhere, something deep within the heart of the island stirred...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, instead of hiding their true identities as aliens, they're hiding their magic and the creatures that are attracted to it. I do hope that this is executed well.


End file.
